1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing management system and printing management method in a computer system having an information processing apparatus (e.g., a personal computer) and a printing apparatus (e.g., a printer) and, more particularly, to a printing management system and printing management method which prevent information leakage by accumulating contents printed by the printing apparatus and tracking the flow of print data.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional measure against leakage of information saved in computers, there is widely used a method of setting an access right to confidential information or a storage server which stores it, and limiting users who can access the confidential information. However, most of the recent information leakage cases are intentional inside jobs by persons permitted to access confidential information.
Information which is small in amount but important in content should be protected from leakage, in addition to an enormous amount of information typified by customer information of an enterprise. Such a small amount of information can be easily brought out as a printed material. For example, a person with an access right to given information may bring it out by printing.
In this situation, demands have arisen for a measure to prevent leakage of data saved in computers in the form of a printed material. For this purpose, many measures have been proposed as follows.
(1) Print permission information is set for a document to be printed or print data, and referred to in printing (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-252784).
(2) A user is authenticated to use a device connected to a network (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-288327).
(3) A print server saves print data in a reprintable state, also acquires information such as a job name, client name, and user name, and adds a time stamp. Further, bitmap data is generated from print data, and saved as a print log(see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-149371).
(4) In addition to the above process, the printer side also acquires a print log and stores it in a server (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-330677).
(5) Simultaneously when receiving print data from a client, a print server also receives information capable of uniquely specifying a user, generates a print log on the basis of the print data and user information, and enables searching, browsing, and reprinting (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-118243).
Of these prior arts, the information leakage preventing methods capable of tracking information (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2002-149371, 2003-330677, and 2004-118243) accumulate print logs and print contents in a format which allows searching for, browsing, and reprinting them. These methods do not consider protection of confidential information contained in accumulated print logs and print contents. An administrator (also called a system administrator) who manages and operates an information leakage preventing system can indirectly access confidential information through print logs and print contents accumulated in the system.